General Services Announces RFP to Lease Space for the Maryland Department of Labor & Department of Information Technology in Baltimore City

BALTIMORE, MD – The Maryland Department of General Services (DGS) announced the department’s publication for request for proposals (RFP) seeking solicitations for the leasing of commercial office space for the Maryland Department of Labor (Labor) and the Department of Information Technology (DoIT) in Baltimore City.

In April 2021, Governor Larry Hogan announced a plan to positively impact the central business district, which will move the State Center campus another step forward to redevelopment. The plan intentionally seeks to absorb approximately 1 million square feet of an expanding vacancy rate in the central business district of 3 million square feet. 

“General Services is committed to positively affect Baltimore’s central business district and is encouraged by the great response from the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and other real estate stakeholders for movement of state agencies into the area,” said DGS Secretary Ellington E. Churchill, Jr. “As we move forward in the repositioning of our state buildings, it is my hope that this project will inspire others to participate in the revitalization and transformation of Baltimore’s central business district.”

More than 3,000 state employees who currently work in state office buildings located at the State Center and Saratoga Street campuses will relocate to more modern, efficient work spaces, allowing our workforce to have greater access to Baltimore’s amenities and businesses. The new leased office space will be influenced by DGS’ new space standards and the state’s new telework policies, and will signal a new model for providing service to the citizens of Maryland.  

Labor was first established in 1916 as the State Board of Labor and Statistics. In addition to information gathering and employment agency duties, the Board of Labor and Statistics was empowered to mediate labor disputes and enforce laws concerning hours of work and employment. Since that time,Labor had a number of restructures and reorganizations, including 1970, when the Department of Licensing and Regulation was formed to consolidate over 30 state agencies and boards responsible for licensing and regulation businesses, professions, and trades. In 1995, the department was reorganized as the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation. In 2019, the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation reorganized as the Department of Labor we have today. Today, Labor supervises employment training, job match services, unemployment insurance, and many of the state’s licensing and regulatory boards concerned with occupations and professions, and home and mechanical services.

DoIT was first established in 1993 within the Department of Budget and Fiscal Planning. The Office of Information Technology was then created within the Department of Budget and Management in 1996. Finally in 2008 the Office of Information Technology was reformed as the DoIT we have today. DoIT is responsible for the coordination, purchasing, and management of all information technology and telecommunications systems and devices used by the state of Maryland. DoIT is also responsible for the development and maintenance of the Statewide Information Technology Master Plan.

DGS is seeking approximately 84,357 net square feet of administrative office space on behalf of Labor & DoIT’s 935 employees. This RFP is the eighth to be issued in accordance with Governor Hogan’s relocation initiative, and the seventh RFP to relocate employees from State Center.  

Labor & DoIT’s RFP and all future agency office space solicitations are listed on eMaryland MarketPlace Advantage (eMMA) website.

https:/emma.maryland.gov/page.aspx/en/bpm/process_manage/29994

Interested parties who wish to do business with the state and stay informed about this opportunity and other state procurements should register their organizations with eMMA.  

eMMA can be accessed through:

• The General Services website @ DGS.Maryland.gov
• The Office of State Procurement website @ procurement.Maryland.gov
• eMMA.Maryland.gov

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About DGS: The Department of General Services is responsible for essential services and programs administered on behalf of the state, including procuring goods and services; designing, building, leasing, managing and maintaining facilities; leading energy conservation efforts; administering the state’s Capital Grants Program; and providing essential services such as fuel management, disposition of surplus property and records management. The Department of General Services Maryland Capitol Police maintains safety and security at state buildings.